US President Donald Trump has revealed that he secretly switched aircraft while leaving a NATO summit in Turkey last month following a possible security threat.
Trump said the Secret Service and US military instructed him to use a different aircraft, adding that he followed their orders for security reasons.
The revelation follows reports that Trump initially boarded Air Force One on July 8 in full view of television cameras before being secretly transported in a catering truck to a separate military aircraft.
The unusual operation reportedly formed part of an elaborate security ruse. Journalists and some White House staff members travelling on the original aircraft were reportedly unaware that Trump had been moved.
US officials told CBS News that the United States had detected a credible Iranian threat involving a possible missile attack on the president’s aircraft. The New York Times also reported that US intelligence had information about a person near the NATO summit who had allegedly been seen carrying a shoulder-fired missile.
Trump said the alternative aircraft he ultimately boarded may have actually been at greater risk, as it could have been considered the more likely target.
The incident has raised questions over the nature of the threat and whether those who remained on the decoy aircraft were exposed to danger.
